General Election shuffle continues down ballot

This weekend’s major reshuffle at the top of the presidential ticket isn’t the only impending change-up on the General Election ballot.

Two Republican candidates who appeared on the primary ballot won’t be options in the November election.

According to Tracy Sharp, head of the Lake County Republican Central Committee, candidate Joe Read, who was vying for his fourth term in the House of Representatives, was forced to step down due to term limits.

By law, state legislators are allowed to serve eight years in office over a 16-year period. Read served two-year terms in the House of Representatives in 2011, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Although he had filed to run again in the newly formed House District 91 against Arlee Democrat Shelly Fyant, he had to pull out of the race, which – had he won – would have added up to five terms in 16 years.

“He had a break in his time in the House and simply made an error in calculating his eligibility,” explained Sharp of Read’s filing error.

David Passieri, a real-estate agent who lives in St. Ignatius, was selected by local Republicans to take Read’s place and is “now official,” says Sharp. The candidate is registered in the Campaign Electronic Reporting System, and his name will appear on the November ballot for House District 91.

In another election development, the Lake County Commissioners announced July 15 that interim treasurer Erika Jennison – also a Republican – has resigned and will not be running for office.

Jennison had worked in the Treasurer’s office for four years prior to her appointment in June 2023 to fill the unexpired term of Robin Vert-Rubel, who retired. She had filed to run for the office as a Republican and had no opponents in the June primary.

According to the press release from the commissioners, Jennison stepped down from the interim appointment “for reasons of health.”

Vert-Rubel has agreed to return to the post through Dec. 31 “to ensure the uninterrupted flow of county businesses in that office.” She formally withdrew from the election last Friday.

Meanwhile, commissioners thanked Jennison for “her years of service to the county” while offering “best wishes for her and her family.”

Because Jennison had filed as a Republican and was uncontested, the challenge of finding a replacement candidate now falls to the Central Committee.

Sharp said he had only learned of the situation last week and vowed to work closely with commissioners “to get a good replacement for them. We need to get that done right away.”

In order for the new candidate’s name to appear on the ballot, he or she must submit a certificate of appointment from the Central Committee, accompanied by a statement of acceptance and the filing fee at least 76 days prior to the election, or by Aug. 21.

Election administrator Toni Kramer checked in with the Secretary of State’s office last week and was informed that Read and former District Court Judge Kim Christopher, whose names both appeared on the primary ballots, have each withdrawn from the general election.

Still no study commission candidates

Those voters who think their local governments need reviewing might want to step up to the plate sometime soon.

According to Kramer, as of Monday, no candidates have filed for government review study commissions in Lake County municipalities. That’s despite the fact that a majority – 654 Polson voters, 81 St. Ignatius voters and 185 Ronan voters – approved local commissions during the June election.

Their “aye” votes set in motion a process established by the Montana Constitution that’s available to voters every 10 years. It begins with local citizens filing with the county election office by Aug. 12 to serve on their community’s respective review commission.

In November, local voters will select up five candidates for their study commissions, who then have up to 18 months to learn and lead discussions about their local form of government and evaluate alternatives. Any proposed changes must be presented to voters by the general election in November 2026.

Filing for the study commission is free, but must be accomplished by Aug. 12 in order for the candidate’s name to appear on the November ballot.

For information on how to file, call the Lake County Election Office at www.lakemt.gov/170/Elections or call 406-883-7268. Learn more about the process at the Local Government Center’s website, montana.edu/extension/localgov.

    Ronan Representative Joe Read (center) explains the efforts Lake County legislators made to pass a bill to fund Public Law 280, which was vetoed by the governor. Rep. Linda Reksten and Sen. Mark Noland were also on hand for last week's meeting at the county courthouse to discuss the future of the law-enforcement agreement. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)